Structures built from putting single Lego pieces in a washing machine

[FSogol]

Ingo Althöfer of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Friedrich-Schiller University, 07737 Jena, Germany wrote a paper on it.

http://www.althofer.de/random-lego-structures.pdf

[marble falls]

1. So life began in the spin cycle.

[MADem]

2. I'll bet this guy is a skilled BSer!

http://www.althofer.de/random-lego-structures.pdf

Within a larger experimental series we put a whole bucket of old Lego(TM) bricks
(from the late 1960's and the early 1970's) into our Miele(TM) washing machine
[1]. The bricks were treated for 70 minutes, at 40 degree Celsius, without speed
spinning at the end, without washing powder. At the start we had disintegrated all
complexes. So, only isolated bricks were put in the machine. During the washing
many "stable" complexes arose: most of them consisting of two bricks, but also
others with up to six pieces in it. In many such complexes, plates of sizes 4x8 or
6x8 were involved.
The washing machine together with Lego bricks is a primitive analog Monte
Carlo agent. From the viewpoint of other disciplines it may also be viewed as
* an experimental mechanism in the field of “Artificial Life”.
* a model of the Miller-Urey experiment on amino acid formation in primordial
soup (Chemistry and Biology). See [2] for the description of such experiments.
* a system visualizing aspects of entropy, decay, and spontaneous self-organisation
(in Physics or Chemistry).
* a tool in a new branch of machine-assisted modern art.
......

[FSogol]

3. Ssssh, don't reveal the secret of academia.

[MADem]

4. Publish or perish....even if it's toys in the washing machine!!!